Chennai International Airport serves India’s fifth-largest city and can get busy, with a terminal layout that’s temporarily confusing and some quirks worth knowing about. But with direct airport metro and rail connections and a new terminal in the works, we can look forward to a more streamlined future. In the meantime, it’s actually not too bad to use.
Navigating Chennai Airport
Chennai Airport has three terminals currently in operation. Terminals 1 and 4 handle domestic flights, while Terminal 2 handles international service. Terminal 3 is being demolished, and an expanded Terminal 2 will take its place, with construction currently underway.
Approaching the terminal can be tricky because some domestic flights, like those for Air India and Air India Express, use Terminal 4 at the far end of the airport complex. It’s often easier to reach by following signs for the international terminal, and not all online information has been updated to reflect this change.
A note about arrivals
Chennai Airport switched to a new system for pickups recently that has its pros and cons. Overall I’m in favor of it because it reduces noise and chaos. When you step out to the curb, there are almost no vehicles. Instead, buggies are waiting to take you to a separate area around a parking garage where you can catch your ride, including taxis and Ubers. You might wait a minute for the buggy to fill up, but it’s pretty effective.
Tip: If you need to change terminals, there are buggies for that too.
Accessing the terminal and security
Like at every other airport in India, you’ll need ID and a boarding pass or ticket to access your terminal. On the other hand, getting through security at Chennai usually works pretty well. But just like at other Indian airports, plan to remove nearly everything from your bag in advance, especially if it looks remotely electronic (chargers and cables included). It’ll save you time in the long run. I find the staff here are usually friendly so it’s usually an okay experience.
DigiYatra and facial recognition
If you travel through Indian airports, including at Chennai, you may notice lanes marked “DigiYatra.” This is a facial recognition system that greatly speeds up the process but is currently only open to holders of Indian identity cards. They’re planning to trial this for international flights with foreign passport holders soon. So if you plan to fly around India a lot, watch this space.
Getting to and from the airport
Chennai Airport connects directly to both the metro and suburban rail, plus taxis and Ubers are plentiful. This really sets Chennai apart from most other airports in the country. Another perk: the airport is relatively close to the center of the city (unlike many Indian airports which are an hour-plus away). Although there is traffic (this is India after all), journey times vary depending on traffic conditions, but it’s usually not so bad, making getting to and from pretty painless.
Taxi
Taxis and Ubers are plentiful at Chennai. I usually opt for Uber because I’m used to it, it works well, and it’s affordable. As mentioned, you’ll need to take a buggy from the arrivals curbside to meet your Uber, but that’s not usually an issue.
Tip: I’ve found that the nicer hotels don’t charge exorbitant rates for pickups here, partly because it’s not so far from town. It can be a really nice option to have your driver meet you at arrivals and take you through the buggy process. The cars will often be more spacious and comfortable than Ubers, as well.
Train
Most people will be looking to take the metro into town. Look for signs for the Metro in arrivals, where you’ll need to get an elevator up to a set of travellators. After just a short walk, you’ll be there. It’s an affordable way into town and depending on your final destination, during trafficky times, it might also be the quickest.
An underground walkway also connects the Tirusulam suburban train station to the airport if you need that option.
Airlines & destinations
Chennai offers an enormous amount of domestic service to all kinds of cities in India, both major and smaller ones. You’ll find all the major domestic airlines here including IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and Akasa.
From Delhi to Vijayawada, you’ll be well covered for domestic trips from here.
Tip: Chennai also sees a lot of service to Port Blair (now officially Sri Vijaya Puram) in India’s Andaman Islands. They’re interesting because they’re much closer to Thailand than India and offer some pretty unique flora and fauna, not to mention beautiful beaches. If you’re looking for a less-traveled spot in India, you might consider it.
International service
Chennai could make for a nice entry point to India as opposed to the much larger Delhi and the single-runway (and hence delay-prone) Mumbai. Most middle eastern carriers are here, some with daily flights like Qatar Airways and Emirates, which make for easy connections from the US and Europe. Air India serves Dubai nonstop, while British Airways serves London Heathrow and Lufthansa offers Frankfurt. There’s also plenty of regional service to nearby countries, including SriLankan Airlines to Colombo. While Air Asia serves Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and more.
And there are multiple daily flights to Singapore, including on Singapore Airlines which offers a very nice ride.
Food & retail outlets
Chennai has quite a few options for shopping and grabbing a bite or a drink, too many to list here, and of course, it depends on the terminal. Terminal 4 has a limited selection, but you’ll find some things there too. One outlet I’d recommend is Chai Waale in Terminal 1. I’ve yet to meet anyone traveling in India that doesn’t like chai. So if you happen to end up there, make sure to stop by.
Lounges
Each terminal at Chennai features a “Travel Club” lounge, and they’re all part of the Priority Pass network. They’re all reasonably nice and offer some respite from the terminal with free food and drink, as you’d expect. Terminal 4 also has an Air India lounge.
It’s not an airport to arrive early at just for the lounges, but they do the trick.
Airport Wi-Fi
Chennai Airport now offers free Wi-Fi with 500MB or 45 minutes of access. If you have an Indian phone number, you’ll receive a one-time password via SMS. Foreign visitors without an Indian SIM can scan their passport and ticket at special kiosks to receive their access code. This is a big improvement over the situation at many other Indian airports where Wi-Fi access can be more challenging for international travelers.
What to do on a layover
Because Chennai Airport is relatively close to the city and has metro service, you have a lot of options if you have a layover of several hours. You can head into town, check out a temple, or even go to the beach.
If you’d like to get great views of the city, consider the St. Thomas Mount church. It’s located on a hill near the airport with a great terrace where you can gaze out towards the sprawling town and the sea. As a bonus, inbound aircraft to Chennai will usually glide right past, so if you’re a planespotter, even better.
Airport hotels
The Trident Hotel can be a good option if you want something close and pretty nice. There are a number of other hotels around the airport, but few are particularly memorable or recommendable.
As another option, the Collection O Grace Residency is a basic hotel that’s accessible from within the airport by foot, without needing to exit the buildings. It’s relatively cheap, too, so for a blend of convenience and price, it’s a pretty good option.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
